55 defendants sentenced to 15 years in violence related case

The Giza Criminal Court sentenced on Tuesday 55 defendants to 15 years in prison on charges on participating in attacking the Atfeeh police station in Giza in August 2013, state media reported.

Another 33 defendants were acquitted of all charges, while 31 were handed a five-year imprisonment.

The court fined all the accused with a total amount of 340,000 EGP.

The prosecution has accused the defendants of gathering and attacking the Atfeeh police station, as well as setting it ablaze and possessing weapons and Molotov cocktails.

After the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, several police stations, state-owned buildings, and churches were attacked by angry protesters. Dozens were killed and injured, and thousands were later arrested and prosecuted.

In almost every city, a case is looking into the attacks that happened after the ouster of Morsi and the dispersal of the Rabaa sit-in in August 2013.

On Sunday, the Cairo Criminal court sentenced 20 defendants to death during their retrial in the case known as “Kerdasa Massacre”, according to local media.

A severe security crackdown was launched, targeting members of various Islamist movements, while parties and charity groups affiliated with Islamist entities were shut down.

The Muslim Brotherhood was declared a terrorist organisation on 25 December 2013, although it was originally outlawed in September 2013. In addition, the assets of Brotherhood members and other prominent Islamists were frozen. The procedure began in July 2013, immediately following the ouster of Morsi.